1989-07578-Minutes for Meeting March 16,1989 Recorded 4/4/1989MINUTES
DESCHUTES COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS OPTIONS
0095 0900
10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 16, 1989
Hearings Room, County Administration Building
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Board members in attendance were Lois Bristow Prante, Dick Maudlin
and Tom Throop. Also present were: Dennis Maloney, Juvenile
Department Director; Ernie Mazorol, Court Administrator; Darrell
Davidson, Sheriff; Ann Van Dusen, Mental Health Director; Mike
Maier, County Administrator; Michael Dugan, District Attorney; and
several members of the Community Corrections staff.
Mike Maier stated that the Board had three Community Corrections
options to choose from for the next fiscal year, and that the
County was currently under Option #3.
Dennis Maloney recommended that the Commissioners go with Option
#1, but that they proceed with caution and withdraw their offer
should any of their assumptions or issues needing to be resolved
not be satisfactorily settled. He said that since the development
of prisons had been the driving force in Corrections at the state
level, field services had not been getting adequate attention. He
was confident that the County had the leadership to manage and have
a positive impact on the adult corrections problem. He submitted
a Program Description for how he would envision the Community
Corrections program should the Commissioners decide to go with
Option 1. He indicated he would agree to manage the new Department
of Corrections in addition to his current duties at his current
salary level, but that he would need some additional support so
the Juvenile Services Department would not suffer due to the
additional assignment. He said that the cornerstone of the
community corrections program should be the Community Service Corps
(similar to the current work crew). He said it would be like
having "cells" in the community by working the offenders during the
day, having evening surveillance checks, and then using electronic
monitoring from midnight to 8:00 a.m. The Community Service Corps
would also bring in funds to the County to offset some of the
costs. He expressed his preference that the current Community
Corrections staff become County employees if Option 1 were chosen,
however he realized they could choose to remain state employees.
He said the program should be well monitored so that at the end of
two years, it could be determined whether to continue.
Commissioner Maudlin expressed concern over a number of questions
that remained unanswered and would need to be researched before a
decision was made, i.e. current community corrections staff options
regarding state/county designation, and what happens to current
staff if they become County employees and then the County drops the
program.
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Ernie Mazorol spoke in favor of Option 1. He felt it would give
more flexibility to the courts. He warned that if Option 1 were
chosen, the County would need to send a clear message to the State
that they must adequately fund the core services, which he said
they were not doing now.
Michael Dugan spoke in favor of Option 1. He pointed out that the
budget figures that were being used were only tentative and would
not be finalized until the legislature passed the laws and made the
allocations. He also mentioned that the field services allocation
would increase by 16.6% if the population figures for Deschutes
County area increased by 10,000 people. He saw the primary goal
as the preservation of what was good in the community. He felt
Option 1 would give Deschutes County more control over its future,
since there was currently no effective deterrent for the person on
probation not to commit another crime. He felt the key ingredient
to turn the situation around was the expansion of the Deschutes
County work crew. He felt that without the work crew program, more
jail space would be needed to show the people on probation that
there were consequences to breaking probation.
Mike Nehl, State Parole and Probation Officer, felt that the
Commissioners should consider Option 2 or 3. He said the major
deterrent was more jail space and that the other options discussed
were very expensive (i.e. electronic surveillance, restitution
center). He didn't think that the extra funds coming from Option 1
would realistically pay for these new programs. He felt there were
too many unknown variables to move to Option 1 without extreme
caution.
Community Corrections employees expressed their concerns about the
County going to Option 1, i.e., liability, police and fire
retirement, program support, pressure to become county employees.
Commissioner Throop pointed out that the transition would take
considerable work for all the concerned parties, and he wanted to
work out the people issues, but the program and the implications
for the people the County served were much larger issues than the
individuals involved.
Mike Maier suggested that the Commissioners make a conditional
approval to go to Option 1 assuming that the nine issues that
Dennis identified could be resolved, and then make a final approval
when the issues had been satisfactorily resolved.
PRANTE: I would entertain a motion for tentative approval in the
direction of Option #1.
THROOP: I'll move tentative approval for the direction of
Option #1.
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MAUDLIN: I would second the motion.
VOTE: PRANTE: YES
THROOP: YES
MAUDLIN: YES
DESCHUTES COUNTY ARD OF COMMISSIONERS
is-~t Prante, Chair
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To Th op, mmissioner
Dick Maudlin, Commissioner
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